ReMix:Raiden Trad "Gallantry (Nobility of Spirit Mix)" 4:56

By Rayza

Arranging the music of one song...

"Gallantry (Round 1, 4)"

Primary Game: Raiden Trad (Electro-Brain , 1991, SNES), music by Akira Sato

Posted 2002-12-13, evaluated by djpretzel


It's taken awhile, but we've finally got a good Raiden ReMix - shmup fans rejoice. Considered sort of a benchmark/landmark/archetype for the vertical-scrolling shooter, Raiden had a big influence on the genre and inspired a lot of clones. It's still some good, classic stuff after all these years - sure, those fancypants Psikyo games might have hot anime gals and ten-thousand bullets on screen at the same time, but it's all an extension of the basic formula that Raiden went a long ways in establishing. Rayza's just da guy to handle this project, too - he starts off with what sounds like an orchestral mix, with military snare patterns, timpani, cymbal roll, bells, and strings, but half a minute in we get a good techno beat going with a stable bass pattern and a triplet synth bit on top of that. Chord changes at 1'12" and not too late afterwards some string pads enter, the liquid analog main lead synth picks up, and a clear kick / open hi-hat drum line takes over. Rayza doesn't sit there too long, though, and breaks for a bit, gradually layering in some more interesting drum work with an elaborate stereo kit that's good stuff. Ending outros by reincorporating some of the same orchestral bits from the beginning, and works well. I would have liked to hear the orchestral element play a more consistent role, rather than being (somewhat) relegated to a round-robin start/finish occupation. However, the quality drum work essentially adds the same thing - variety - to an already solid foundation. Rayza knows how to mix, so there's nothing sticking out in that department, and in general the piece has a smooth, analogue quality that's easy on the ears but still got some juice. Recommended.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Marmiduke
on 2009-11-27 08:09:30

Rayza has a wonderful knack for putting the melody first, something I'm greatly appreciative of. All too often in remixes (generally not those on OCR), too much focus is put on the trance whilst the melodic aspects of the mix are relegated to backing tracks. Not so with this mix, with the lead synth doing it's thing right up front in everyone's face.

This is a nice, tight package that doesn't pop as much as perhaps a more modern techno rendition would, but it still sounds extremely well exectued regardless. Some samples wear their age and arrangement is on the narrow side but the pros far outweigh the cons. It's still a standout mix of a great source that could have very easily gone completely overlooked. Nice one.

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OA
on 2008-01-22 12:52:13

Another old-school workhorse on my playlist, this is pretty well crafted with some really nice synth choices. The snare at the beginning I've always thought was kindof lame and way dry for the effect you are going for, though it works for the rest of the track, and the rest is solid and pretty creative trance, with some cool variations, especially near the end. Builds and breakdowns are well executed, and the song has a nice flow, as well as a driving pulse. I agree with Larry that the source music has some good stuff and then some stuff most likely written by the intern, but this track is definitely one of the stronger ones, and Rayza kicked it up even more. Nice work.

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Liontamer
on 2006-05-01 16:18:54

The Raiden series soundtracks felt a bit spotty to me; there are some decent cuts, but I never really found myself liking much on there.

The execution here was definitely skillfull and stylish. A little thin in spots, but I loved the overall meaty and energetic atmosphere here.

Great arrangement ideas, this really compares well with the original. Solid development throughout the course of the mix, even showcasing some new writing ideas at the end just to show he wasn't resting on his laurels. Nice work, Hayden.

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DarkWolf
on 2003-07-11 09:21:25

This is a great remix of the original tune, which was probably the most memorable from Raiden and its Raiden Trad console counterparts. I love the orchestral intro and the switch to the synth instruments.

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artificialist
on 2003-06-18 23:51:52

truly a must have if you liked anything else Rayza made

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{ATS}Forsaken
on 2003-06-17 11:53:53

God i love Raden Trad ive looked EVERYWHERE for a remix. and this one sure lives up to it :mrgreen: i hope some more remixes of this one song come out. i miss snes games. they should make PS2 versions..

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mottzilla
on 2003-03-02 23:18:41

This game is one of my all time favorites and this track was always memorable, and hearing this arrangement it's so much better.

You should download this even if you don't know what Raiden is.

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LegendarySword
on 2003-02-24 19:54:26

1) Gallantry in Raiden Trad is one of my favorite videogame tracks.

2) The Original and Remix in Raiden Project takes this even further.

3) This track surpasses them exponentially. You're forced to mute the TV and play this superior version instead.

Chalk up another for Rayza!

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Beatdrop
on 2003-02-10 09:16:27

Wow...

This takes a page out of the Book of Juno Reactor. It seems to have a strong psytrance feel to it, but it's also kind of just flat-out techno. I dunno... anyway, I like this. The bassline really got me anticipating what was coming up, and with good reason. All of the cool gliding synth lines are lots of fun, and the main lead is just so massive and appropriate for this song. It's mixed quite well, with nothing too overpowering, and nothing being drowned out. And holy crap, the big melody step-up at 4:03 caught me totally off guard, and all I could do was raise my eyebrows and rewind to hear it again.

Cool. Rayza's one of my new favorites.

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GameBlazer
on 2002-12-15 18:17:23

You know what's an awesome experience? Booting up MAME, turning on this mix, setting it to loop, and starting up Raiden. Then, hit "~" and turn the volume down to the point where you can only hear the effects, and not the music. Insert Coin, and enjoy. What a fucking great experience.

I always swore that if I ever became a remixer, this would be the first track I'd cover. Now, I can put that off a little longer.

DOWNLOAD IT.

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NoahFrenzy
on 2002-12-15 03:54:00

I said it before, I really really like this mix. Raiden's been in need of mixage for some time, and I highly enjoyed this one. I especially like the sound of your lead synth, which also kept reminding me of Golden Axe for some reason. As I'm now listening with headphones and taking in more of what's going on in the backround of the music, it only gets better. Awesome mix!

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Kie
on 2002-12-14 20:30:26

Wow, i've never heard of this game, by listening to this remix makes me wanna play it. It's pretty sweet near 3mins when the solo comes in. Then it's kick-ass til the end. Great stuff.

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mDuo13
on 2002-12-14 13:18:13

Finally! A good Raiden mix! I was considering making a mix of this particular tune myself, but never got around to it. Rayza does some great things with this mix; the orchestral in the beginning is fairly true to the tune, but the techno expands on it with new melodies and things, all of which are good (a few of them fairly standard techno, though.) Lots of cool synths, good drums, and a nice balance between staying true to the original and improvising. I especially love the drum solo at 2:24. The only gripe I have with it is that it's fairly predictable as far as techno goes. As djp would say, reccomended.

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sgx
on 2002-12-14 01:47:46

This is a very good mix. I'm not familiar with the original tunes, but this stands by itself very well. Great drum programming that's kept interesting with effects and changes like at 2:20 is consistent throughout. This is good trance/techno stuff that keeps itself from being terribly predictable. The synth used for the lead melody is great and fits right in. Great stuff from Ryza.

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DarkCecil13
on 2002-12-14 00:07:49

Raiden Trad 'Gallantry (Nobility of Spirit Mix)'

Okay - I really, really liked the first part of this mix. I was hoping a style like this would have built up deeper in the same style. Instead, it goes into a techno arrangement starting at about 0:30. Though, it's actually worth it considering how well done it is. Rayza never fails impress me and compose great ReMixes. This one is definitely no exception. Not much else to say other than that I enjoyed listening to it, and it's well done (I couldn't write anything in this style better myself). All I can say is: It's about time we get a Raiden ReMix. The wait was worth it :)

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Raiden Trad (Electro-Brain , 1991, SNES)
Music by Akira Sato
Songs:
"Gallantry (Round 1, 4)"

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File Information


Name:
Raiden_Trad_Gallantry_(Nobility_of_Spirit_Mix)_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,999,089 bytes
MD5:
9a5b0ec650ca37fcf0a60bc2b69dabce
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
4:56

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